Church Preen Primary School

Inspection Report Church Preen Primary School

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123359 Unique Reference Number Shropshire LEA 281454 Inspection number 5 June 2006 to 5 June 2006 Inspection dates John Eadie AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Church Preen School address Primary Type of school Church Stretton Community School category Shropshire SY6 7LH 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01694 771359 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01694 771359 Fax number 75 Number on roll Mr R G Ball Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Jude Duffy Headteacher 24 January 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281454 5 June 2006 - 4 to 11 5 June 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by a team of two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This popular small primary school is set in the South Shropshire countryside and serves a widely-spread rural community. Almost all pupils have to travel to school by bus or car. Very few pupils are eligible for free school meals, reflecting the economic stability of the area, although the pupils come from a wide mix of social backgrounds. Almost all are White British and all speak English at home. An average proportion of pupils have learning difficulties or disabilities. Children start school with a wide range of levels of skills and knowledge, though these are broadly as expected for their age. The headteacher took up her post in September 2005.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Church Preen Primary School, 5 June 2006 to 5 June 2006

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Grade: 2

It is easy to see why this good, and improving, school is popular. Parents choose it because, as one said, ‘It is a lovely school with a caring and safe environment for children to develop and grow‘. A school is all about how well it supports pupils to enable them to make good progress and pupils are certainly achieving well here. They make good progress in the basic skills of literacy and numeracy and reach well above average standards in English and mathematics by the time they leave. Despite the good progress being made, the headteacher and staff are not complacent and recognise areas for improvement. There are very clear processes for self-evaluation and there is a constant drive to raise standards. For example, raising the number of higher levels being achieved in the tests in Year 2 for reading and writing has been a focus because of the school’s analysis. The new system for setting targets is another good example

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Grade: 2

of the improvements being made, although this system is too new to be fully effective as yet. At the heart of the good progress that pupils are making is the detailed knowledge that staff have of each pupil’s needs. In this successful small school, each person is clearly valued and nurtured. Pupils are growing in self-confidence and are fully involved in decision-making; as one pupil said, ‘We decide things and they do happen’. These skills, the good progress they are making and the learning of a good work ethic are preparing pupils well for the next stage of their education and their future lives. There is an area for development in this positive picture. Although pupils know the clear targets that are set for them, they do not know the National Curriculum levels that match these targets and therefore do not fully understand how they can best raise the standards of their work. Provision for the children of Reception age is good. They are taught with the pupils in Years 1

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Grade: 2

and 2, but the teacher’s planning takes their needs into account. The other adults are fully involved in this planning and play their part to ensure that these children make good progress across the range of areas of learning. Throughout the school, planning is sufficiently flexible to allow those children who are ready to do so, to work with older children and this is allowing the more able to make good progress. The contribution that pupils make to the school and wider community is outstanding. One member of the school council said that, ‘We have a lot to do with the running of the school’. The school is regarded as a hub of the local community. Pupils have hosted lunch for local residents and regularly join in with Village Hall functions. Older pupils devised Café Preen, a venture occasionally run at the end of the school day for pupils, parents and others, with the express purpose of raising money for both local charities

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Grade: 2

and worthy causes further afield. Relationships within the school are excellent. Older pupils care very well for younger ones and there is a sense of a ‘family community’ that pervades the school. A further feature of the success of the school is pupils’ enjoyment of all that the school has to offer. Rates of attendance are above average, although they have declined a little in recent years, largely because of an increased number of holidays taken during term time. Pupils work hard and many take part in a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities, particularly musical and sporting. The school benefits from links with 2 Inspection Report: Church Preen Primary School, 5 June 2006 to 5 June 2006 a local secondary school which has performing arts status. These links have raised the profile of drama and dance within the school and the pupils speak enthusiastically about the opportunities available. The pupils, through the school council, have

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Grade: 2

developed a new code of behaviour. Parents and governors were also brought into the consultations for this and the new code is good. However, some pupils do not always follow the new code and are sometimes not corrected sufficiently promptly. Pupils have a good understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle. As well as the good opportunities within the curriculum, many take part in extra-curricular sports clubs. Pupils also make full use of playtime to take further exercise in the good and well-equipped space available. They are well aware of what constitutes a healthy diet and say they have noticed an improvement in the school lunches, with more salads and less unhealthy food, for example. Pupils feel this is a healthy school, but the school council is concerned that some children still bring unhealthy snacks to school. They have a good understanding of the choices that they will have to make in their future

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Grade: 2

lives and are well prepared to make sound decisions. Pupils are well aware of how to act safely. They are very conscious of the needs of others, although there are times at breaks when those playing ball games are more intent on the ball than the safety of others. Formal sanctions are rarely needed and children say that the very rare incidences of bullying are dealt with very well by both adults and children.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Continue to develop the system of setting targets so that pupils know more clearly how the targets set for them link to the levels at which they are working. •Ensure that the new codes of behaviour are consistently applied so that pupils clearly understand the school’s expectations.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are making good progress through the school. Data from past years shows that, from their average starting points, children make sound progress in the Reception Year to reach standards a little above those expected by the time they start in Year 1. However, this year these children have made good progress and are reaching higher standards. In Years 1 and 2, progress is good and standards in reading, writing and mathematics are significantly above average by the end of Year 2. Good progress continues through Years 3 to 6. The group of pupils currently in Year 6 achieved broadly average scores in the national tests in Year 2 but have now reached comfortably above average standards in English, mathematics and science, which shows they have made good progress. Pupils with learning difficulties make particularly good progress because of the carefully targeted plans that are made for their learning and the good levels of

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Grade: 2

support they receive. 3 Inspection Report: Church Preen Primary School, 5 June 2006 to 5 June 2006

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Grade: 2

The pupils’ personal development is good. They enjoy school, ‘because it is small and everyone knows everyone else’. They feel safe and secure, and know that any adult will help them if they have problems. Older pupils are aghast at the mention of bullying, insisting, ‘We don’t have no bullies here’. Behaviour in lessons and around school is good, but some older pupils are not as enthusiastic as they might be. Pupils’ moral, social and cultural development is good. The school encourages pupils to aspire to high standards, and pupils see the ‘Golden Rules’ are helpful. Pupils are developing a sense of wonder, for instance when they look across the magnificent Wenlock Edge. However, they accept some things too readily and do not often search for deeper meanings.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are learning well because teachers are planning successfully to meet their individual requirements well. As one parent said, ‘Children’s different educational needs are fully understood and met’. All classes contain pupils from more than one year group and teachers are particularly good at using this to extend pupils’ learning. It is common to see younger pupils working with older ones so that they are working at levels that match their stage of learning. Teaching assistants make a good contribution to pupils’ learning. They are involved in the planning of lessons and this ensures that they are able to help and guide pupils well. This is especially the case for pupils with learning difficulties. Systems for assessing pupils’ levels of knowledge and understanding are relatively new. Although pupils know the targets that are being set for them, they are not yet aware of how these targets can help them achieve particular

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good range of learning opportunities to meet the interests and needs of all its pupils. The curriculum is being adapted well to meet the headteacher’s vision of learning based on experience and making the most of the local environment, though these changes are in their early stages. Work given is particularly well matched to pupils’ attainment to enable them to make the best possible progress. The school links very effectively with others to extend its already wide range of enrichment activities, for instance in physical education or for building pupils’ awareness of life in a multi-ethnic environment. The curriculum therefore promotes good progress in essential academic skills as well as in personal skills that enable pupils to grow in maturity and confidence. 4 Inspection Report: Church Preen Primary School, 5 June 2006 to 5 June 2006

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Grade: 2

In this small school, the staff know and care for their pupils well. They treat each pupil as an individual. They prepare challenging targets for each pupil and, by discussing these, guide pupils to make good progress. The marking of pupils’ work also supports their progress, as teachers’ detailed comments give pupils pointers for improvement. Pupils do not know how to convert this guidance into knowledge of the levels they are working at, to use as a skill for self-evaluation. The care extends to pupils’ personal qualities. The ’Golden Rules’ guide pupils to become happy and secure individuals. They become aware of responsibilities as well as rights.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher has brought enthusiasm and a clear vision for the future of the school. She is ably supported by the staff team. Together they have already made a number of improvements which are beginning to have a positive impact on raising standards although several are in their early stages. Good systems have been put in place to evaluate the success of the school and regular checks are made to ensure that initiatives are being effective. Good plans are in place to involve governors in this process although many are new to their roles and are not yet fully aware of how they can help the school move forward. The school has an accurate view of its effectiveness and with this knowledge, the good progress made since the previous inspection and the vision and drive of the headteacher, supported well by staff and governors, it gives good value for money and is well placed to continue to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Church Preen Primary School, 5 June 2006 to 5 June 2006

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Church Preen Primary School, 5 June 2006 to 5 June 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

The Pupils Church Preen Primary School Church Preen Church Stretton Shropshire SY6 7LH 6 June 2006 Dear Pupils Thank you so much for welcoming us to your school. We really enjoyed talking to you and looking at your work. We were very impressed with how polite you were and how proud you are of your school. You are right to be proud as it is a good school. We think the following are the best things about your school: •You work really hard to help to run your school and have organised some wonderful things, such as Café Preen, to help others. •You are making good progress, especially in your English and maths. •Your school is very friendly and the older children look after the youngsters very well. •All the grown-ups look after you really well. •There are lots of interesting visits, visitors and extra activities. These are the things that we have told your school it needs to improve: •Although you all know your targets, you do not always know what National Curriculum levels

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you are aiming for. •Some of you do not always keep to the rules that you have helped to make. Yours sincerely John D Eadie Lead Inspector

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